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F. LAMPLOUGH..

HYDRAULIC ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 28. 1919.

Patnted May 25,1920.

3 $HEETS-SHEET ldrof INVENTOR.

F. LAMPLOUGH.

HYDHAULICENGINE. APPLICATION FILED APfl. 28. 1919. r

3 SHEETS-SHEET?- INVEITOR.

@QWQZWYM V 1 F. L LOUGH.

HYD uc ENGINE.

APR. 28. I919.

Patented May- 25, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3- d 1132mm I UNITED srArss FREDERICK LAMPLOUGI-I,

OF FELTHAM, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO HYDRO-DYNAMICS,

LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

HYDRAULIC ENGINE.

Patented May 25, 1920.

Application filed April 28, 1919. Serial No. 293,370.

member, a plurality of engine-cylinders or pairs of cylinders carried by said member and having their longitudinal axes transverse thereto, oppositely moving pistons in said cylinders, and a planet-wheel operatively connected to each piston and gearing with a sun-wheel co-axial with the driven member.

According to this invention, an engine of the type just described is constructed to have the cylinders arranged in pairs, both open ended and communicating at their inner ends with a chamber common to both, said cylinders preferably being disposed with their longitudinal axes inclined to one another in a wide V whose point is directed radially outward from the driven member.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate one construction of hydraulic engine according to this invention Figure 1 is a longitudinal section on the line 1, 1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2, 2 of Fig. 1, and

Fi 3 is an end elevation.

Li e reference characters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

A fixed shaft A has rotatably mounted upon it a casing or chamber B which has three radially disposed chambers B B B communicating with it, by ports or openings B The shaft A is cut away as shown in Fig. 2 to constitute a valve controlling these ports as the casing B rotates, allowing them to communicate alternately with inlet and outlet passages A A formed in the shaft A.

Within each of the chambers B B B there are formed two cylinders C C which are open at their inner ends to the interior of their respective chambers, but at their outer ends are open into the general casing D inclosing the whole mechanism. Pistons E E respectively are mounted in these cylinders. It will be seen that the cylinders are arranged in pairs with their open ends pointing away from one another in a wide V, the point of the V being directed radially outward. This is the preferred construction, as it gives the most compact form of engine, but it will be appreciated that this partlcular arrangement is not essential, and that changes may be made therein within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The casing D carries three crankshafts F arranged one between each pair of the chambers B B B'f, these crankshafts having each two throws and having their lon itudinal axes parallel with that of the shaft With the above described arrangement of cylinders, it will be seen that each crankshaft is faced by two cylinders, one in each of the chambers B B and 13 adjacent to it, and the pistons in these cylinders are coupled by suitable connecting rods to the cranks or throws on the shaft.

At the outer end of each shaft (the right hand end of Fig. 1) there is keyed or otherwise rotatively secured a spur-wheel G which constitutes the planet-wheel of an epioyclic gearing, the sun-wheel H being secured on the fixed shaft A and always stationary. The crankshafts F are preferably mounted in ball-bearings F On the end of the chamber B is secured in any desired manner a shaft B which constitutes the driven shaft of this engine, 11. e. the shaft to which it supplies power by its rotation. I

The operation of this engine is as follows Oil driven from the primary engine into the central chamber B through the inlet-' conduit A enters one of the cylinder chamhers B B or B and thus thrusts the two pistons E E in the two cylinders C C outward. This imparts movement to the planet-wheels G on opposite sides of the pair of cylinders and thus the driven member B B is made to rotate around the sunwheel H. Its movement changes the position of the ports 13* in the valve-chamber B relatively to the stationary valve-member A and thus the one cylinder-chamber is exhausted and another one is filled so that the rotary movement of the driven-member is maintained so long as the flow of the oil from the primary engine is maintained.

Obviously the rate at which the secondary engine rotates depends on the rate at Which it is supplied with the operating fluid. It Will also be appreciated that this engine is reversible by the simple means of reversing the inlet and outlet passage, 2'. e. by reversing the direction of the flow of the operating fluid through it.

The object of this invention is to provide a secondary engine, that is, one driven by a prime-mover of the same type, which shall be more compact than has heretofore been possible and wherein the operating parts shall be so balanced that the central shaft is relieved of side-thrust from the same. As is Well-known these secondary engines are driven by fluid circulated through them by a primary engine which is itself driven by some outside source of power, such as an electric-motor.

What I claim as In invention and desire to secure by Letters *atent is In an engine of the type described, a stationary valve shaft, a ported casing rotatably mounted on said shaft, a plurality of FREDERICK LAMPLOUGH. 

